Dombrowski, a Gaylord High graduate, is in full pursuit of an NFL career after a sterling senior season booming kicks as an All-Ivy League punter for Harvard University.

“I’ve hired an agent and I’m in the gym every day, training for the NFL,” Dombrowski said. “I went to a camp this summer with the rest of the top punters in the country and I was right near the top. I have a legitimate chance.”

As with any Harvard athlete, Dombrowski has been forced to strike a balance between athletics and academics. And while he carries a 3.345 grade point average and was named Academic All-Ivy League, no spot for slouches, Dombrowski has traded in full-time internship and job hunting for a training regimen that gives him a crack at the next level.

“That’s why I came home every summer, he said. “I took a part-time job here so that I could train the rest of the time.”

Spending his Christmas Break in the gym is just the start of what will be a whirlwind few months. Shortly, he will fly to Florida to train and kick outdoors with his kicking coaches for a week before participating in a combine in Tampa. He’ll also compete in front of NFL scouts at Harvard’s pro day in March and will then possibly fly to Seattle to kick in another combine.

And while he has the pedigree, a big, strong leg to go with his 44.0 per punt average that ranked No. 8 in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision, Dombrowski is frank when accessing his future.

“It all depends on how I kick at the combines,” he said.

Regardless of how it goes, Dombrowski will have that old Harvard economics degree to fall back upon.

He said he “wouldn’t change a thing” about his career that saw him help the Crimson to an undefeated conference season on the way to a 2011 Ivy League Championship. And while he was disappointed in this season’s 8-2 season that was good for second in the league, Dombrowski has nothing but good things to say about his career.

“It was everything I expected it to be,” he said.

Dombrowski said playing multiple sports in high school helped prepare him for the rigors of balancing academics and athletics at a premier university. A soccer player with a bright future, Dombrowski was convinced to give football kicking a try in high school. The rest was history, as he set the school record for most points kicking (115), longest field goal (48 yards) and most career field goals. His booming leg garnered the attention of many college programs, including the University of Michigan during the Rich Rodriguez era, but Dombrowski chose the academic-athletic combination of Harvard.

Along for the ride were parents Tony and Tara. One or the other were present at each of Dombrowski’s college games, no small feat considering most were held halfway across the country.

“They put a lot of miles on the car,” he laughed.

Being named All-New England and All-Ivy League were good, but Dombrowski is especially proud of his academic honors.

“That one is really gratifying,” he said. “Our coaches always stress that academics is first, and I’ve taken that to heart. I’ve given up a lot of social nights to either study or work out.”

It’s an attitude that will serve him well, whether as an NFL punter or a businessman.